Latest news with #EstelleBailey
BBC News
27-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Wildlife trust criticises new biodiversity net gain proposal
A wildlife trust condemns the government's proposal to weaken biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirements warning that it could "devastate local nature".The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) says the government's requirements for small and medium-sized housing developments will erode community wellbeing across the three was introduced to ensure that new developments leave nature in a better state than Executive of BBOWT, Estelle Bailey said: "This is an alarming and short-sighted proposal from a Government that just months ago promised to put nature at the heart of development." Under the government's new plans which is out for consultation, smaller development which make up 70% of all housing projects in England, could be trust said: "This would cause widespread damage to local wildlife, green spaces and community health." Ms Bailey explained that in the three counties smaller housing developments often take place near "treasured wild space" which is home to declining species like hedgehogs, bats and said: "Removing BNG requirements would not only jeopardise the survival of these habitats, without any obligation to restore or replace them, but it would also see generations to come living in dwellings devoid of nature." Currently, small sites are generally developments with nine houses or fewer, although the consultation is also looking at changing the rules for developments of up to 49 houses. If small sites are removed from BNG, potentially around 80% of demand for BNG units will be wiped out. Director of External Affairs and Land Recovery at BBOWT, Matthew Stanton said: "It tells communities that nature doesn't matter unless it's big or easy to quantify, which is the opposite of what we need during a nature and climate crisis.""Stripping BNG from small developments is a clear backward step that we urge the Government to reconsider," he added.A Defra spokesperson said: "This Government inherited a failed planning system that blocks infrastructure and does little for nature's recovery."We are fully committed to Biodiversity Net Gain and making it work even more effectively for developers and for nature."That is why our consultation explores easier, quicker, and cheaper routes for developers to deliver gains for nature." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
11-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
BBOWT says government plan is threat to counties' nature
A charity says a key government plan poses "one of the biggest threats to nature laws in over a generation".The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has asked people to write to their MPs over concerns it has about the Planning and Infrastructure government says that should speed up building and improve infrastructure but the charity says it would allow developers to sidestep environment regulations, provided they pay into a new fund.A government spokesperson said the bill, currently at the Committee stage in the House of Commons, would "deliver a win-win for the economy and nature". BBOWT says the government's plan for the Nature Restoration Fund, managed by Natural England, is an "attempt to cover its tracks" over potential nature damage."Our natural world underpins every element of our economy, and if we want long-term sustainable growth, we must invest in nature," Estelle Bailey, its chief executive, said."We know that a thriving economy depends on a thriving natural world, but Keir Starmer is bizarrely pushing a false choice between protecting nature and building homes. This is an unnecessary and divisive rhetoric – the two can and must be considered together."Labour has promised to build 1.5 million new homes in England over the next five years, with the pledge key to boosting economic growth. Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said in February that there would be "no excuses" to not hit that target in England by government spokesperson said: "We have inherited a failing system that has held up the building of homes and infrastructure, blocking economic growth but doing nothing for nature's recovery. Communities and the environment deserve better than this broken status-quo."Our Planning and Infrastructure Bill will deliver a win-win for the economy and nature – introducing the Nature Restoration Fund to unblock the building of much-needed homes and infrastructure, funding large scale environmental improvements across whole communities, and introducing robust protections so that our new approach can only be used where it will create positive outcomes for the environment." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
